- Date Of Birth: July 9, 1954
- Date Of Death: March 27, 2021
- State: Illinois
William Ream “Bill” Schulte, 66, of rural Granville, passed away Saturday, March 27, 2021, at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford. William Ream Schulte was born July 9, 1954, in Peru, the second child of Robert and Virginia (Webster) Schulte.
He was a graduate of St. Joseph Grade School (now Peru Catholic School) and St. Bede Academy, where he was active in theater, tennis and football. Bill’s football team was inducted into the St. Bede Hall of Fame. It is a little-known fact that he holds the record for fastest time running the school stairs from the basement to the attic, a feat he didn’t brag about lest someone try to beat his time. Bill’s father and uncle graduated from St. Bede Academy and his fondness for his alma mater continued for life; he served on the board for several years and sent both of his daughters there.
After high school, Bill joined the U.S. Army and served his country proudly for several years, attending West Point before deciding a military career was not for him. He then attended Northern Illinois University, pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon and had a great time while earning a degree in English.
Bill met his wife, Margaret “Peg” Richart while working in Bloomington and they were married at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bay City, Michigan on November 13, 1982. They were blessed with two wonderful daughters, Elizabeth and Gwendolyn.Bill chose insurance as a career and he lived and worked in Germany, Springfield, and Chicago before returning to Peru, where he and Peg took over the family agency from his dad, Bob. Bill was the fourth generation of the Ream/Schulte family to manage Ream Insurance Agency, later renamed River Valley Insurance Agency. He retired at the end of 2020 after merging the agency into Dimond Bros. Insurance, LLC.As a local business leader, Bill was committed to community service. He was active for years with the Peru Citizen Service Organization (CSO), volunteered at the Illinois Valley PADS homeless shelter until health issues forced him to resign, and held leadership roles in both Peru and LaSalle Rotary Clubs until his death.
He was an Eagle Scout and he continued his support of scouting as a fund-raiser and administrator for years. He taught orienteering at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico one summer. Perhaps his proudest achievement in community service was successfully spearheading the drive to erect a statue honoring Peru’s most famous daughter, Maud Powell.Bill was a man of deep and quiet faith, a lifelong member of St. Joseph Parish in Peru. He inherited a love of music from his mother and an interest in people from his father. He never met a stranger and was happy to talk with and learn from anyone. He cherished his lifelong friends from grade school, high school, college, and the Army. He will be sorely missed by all, especially the guys from the Thursday night dinners he orchestrated, and the Friday Night Gang with whom he and Peg met almost every week.
Bill loved chess and was the chess coach at LaSalle-Peru High School for years. He was passionate about the Civil War and was an amateur expert on the Battle of Gettysburg. He was an avid fisherman and loyal Chicago Cubs fan, but the main focus of his life was his family. He cherished his relationships with his sisters, Barbara, Becky and Jane, his brother-in-law, Ed, and his many nieces and nephews. Most of all, Bill loved his wife of 38 years, Peg, and his daughters, Liz and Gwen. They were his greatest joy and his life’s proudest achievement.
Bill is survived by his wife, Margaret; daughters, Elizabeth of Alameda, CA and Gwendolyn of San Francisco, CA; sisters, Barbara (Edward) Lischewski of Dalzell, Rebecca Olsen of Plainfield and Jane Finnigan of Naperville, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Virginia Schulte.
